The Queen has congratulated the 31,598 people who entered the Duchess of Cambridge’s Hold Still photography competition for capturing “the resilience of the British People at such a challenging time.”
Kate shared some of the moving portraits with Her Majesty last month including Holding Tight, taken on VE Day by Katy Rudd and Joe Wyer, Thank You – five-year-old Amelia May dressed as a nurse – by Wendy Huson and The Look of Lockdown a portrait of her friend Pepter by Carlotta Cutrupi.
Writing from Balmoral, where the two women spent time together in August, the monarch said: “It was with great pleasure that I had the opportunity to look through a number of the portraits that made the final 100 images for the Hold Still photography project.
Thank you by Wendy Huson
“The Duchess of Cambridge and I were inspired to see how the photographs have captured the resilience of the British people at such a challenging time, whether that is through celebrating frontline workers, recognising community spirit or showing the efforts of individuals supporting those in need.
“The Duchess of Cambridge and I send our best wishes and congratulations to all those who submitted a portrait to the project.”
The striking images, all taken in a six-week period over May and June, document people’s shared and individual experiences of lockdown.
Sami by Grey Hutton
In a statement, Kensington Palace said: “The images present a unique record of our shared and individual experiences during this extraordinary period of history, conveying humour and grief, creativity and kindness, tragedy and hope.”